Sunday, March 18, 2007 I wanted to do some hiking for conditioning, so I headed out of Medford to the Applegate. First, I hiked Mule Mountain and then drove over to Mt. Isablelle. I had climbed this mountain previously, so I didn’t have any problem finding the trailhead. The natives were restless this day and there was lots of activity at the OHV Park down near Highway 238 and there was lots of traffic on Forest Creek Road.

I parked off the road in front of the gate and started hiking on the road. The road is almost level the first few hundred yards to the fork in the road. I took the left fork and started climbing up towards the summit. The road climbs steeply and I took my time. As I climbed the forest cover gave way to more open brushy slopes. Soon I could see nice views to the north towards Mt. McLoughlin and Brown Mountain. It was a beautiful day with a few white clouds passing overhead.

I kept going and after the first switchback, 3 dirt bikers came down the road heading off to explore something else. It was soon quiet again and I made good progress. I reached the summit is about 35 minutes from the trailhead. The summit area is nice with several large cedar trees and great views to the south and west. I took lots of pictures and signed the summit register that had been placed here since my last visit.

I was back at my truck a little more than an hour after I started. At the truck, 4 Quad riders were at the saddle taking a break and I hoped I wouldn’t meet any more going back down Oregon Belle Road. I didn’t, only a couple of mountain bikers.